Local gourmet food truck Only Burger is aspiring to be a contestant on the Great Food Truck Race, a reality show on Food Network.  Vote Here.

I’ve been thinking about communication lately.  Many people don’t like to talk on the phone anymore.  As more and more people get smart phones, the number of voice minutes used has stayed the same, while the data usage is skyrocketing. 

I have long preferred email, where possible, to voice calls, and hardly speak on the phone at all outside the office.  Now, email is old-hat in many circles, and I text not only my friends, but colleagues, parents and day care providers. 

I was at a meeting of the Durham Small Business Advisory Committee yesterday, and we were discussing how best to let people know about our programs.  There are so many ways to reach people, newspaper, radio, email blasts, list-servs, tweets, Facebook, etc. 

How do you like to be contacted?

First, you can participate in the effort to bring Google Fiber to Durham today at 11 a.m.  Google is looking for a test community where it can launch its ultra-high-speed broadband network.  Durham wants to be that community. 

Today is Google Day at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.  Show up wearing Google colors (red, blue or yellow) or black, and be part of an aerial picture of people spelling out “We want Google.” 

Use the Jackie Robinson and Blackwell entrance.  The picture should be  taken at noon, sharp.  For more insight into the Durham effort, check out Bull City Rising (which I recommend generally anyway).

The second interesting thing going on is that the Duke Lemur Center is in the running for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Project Grant so it can increase awareness of the lemur’s plight and inspire people to take action to help lemurs and other endangered species. 

For more information: click here

Fortune Magazine this week issued its list of best metro areas in which to launch a business.  Durham is 15th on that list for midsized areas. 

Here is what Fortune said: 

To hear local entrepreneurs tell it, Durham is putting the D in diversity. Once known for tobacco and textiles, today it’s part of The Research Triangle, the world’s largest research and development center. The city is home to an array of high-tech, medical and financial services companies, as well as federal agencies and educational institutions.

The locals are a highly educated bunch: Duke University, North Carolina Central University and Durham Technical Community College employ and train area residents. Business support organizations like the Institute for Minority Economic Development and the Women’s Business Center offer the resources entrepreneurs need to thrive.

The city’s strong sense of community helps its assorted enterprises and individuals come together. It’s the kind of place where businesses embrace struggling local schools by donating supplies, volunteering classroom speakers and hosting field trips.

Living, business and construction costs remain low compared to national averages. Another local perk: Durham offers plenty of ways to unwind after a hard day’s work, from kayaking and hiking to performance art and gallery tours.

I’d love to hear from people who have started in Durham and in other places.  What has the Bull City experience been like?